First week in Scotland

It has been a very busy few days which have turned into a very busy first week in the
UK.

The first bit of excitement was when I was in airport in London. This was when I had to clear costumes as an outsider. For starters all the people I knew were all from the UK so they could stand in the European passport line where I had to stand in the line marked “others.” The line marked “others” as you may have guessed was not quite as long but shockingly enough it was moving significantly slower. So as my friends had all passed me in line and gone through without a bat of an eye I made my way to the front of the line. The man behind the counter told me to step forward and the first words he spoke after that was “used to snort crack and play tennis,” I immediately was flustered and though I was about to be deported back to the USA so I said very nervously, “no, no sir.” He went on the say, “well he use to.” I replied, “no, not at all.” At that point I remembered I was wearing a shirt with John McEnroe on the front. I then said, “yeah, yeah he probably did.” We then transitioned into a conversation I had anticipated and I was free to go onto Scotland. So the trip started off with a bang.

When I got to Banchory the first few days I spent with the Brodies. I know Pete from the mission trips that I have been on with UPC and the youth group from Banchory. This is because the family I am saying with now (Mechies) were still on holiday or what we would call vacation. I had loads of fun with Pete, we played football or what we call soccer each of the first two days. The first day we couldn’t get enough numbers to play on the Astroturf field they have so we played around in the park. The next day we had enough to go 6 v 6 and that was great fun. The funny/ stupid thing about it is that if someone wants to play on the Astroturf there is a fee. It is £20, which is equal to $40. Its crazy because there is a fee for everything dealing with sports. To play tennis it cost money and they have these trampolines that are meant for 10 year olds and under but those also cost money and then of course there is a fee for the Astroturf. On the second full day or third actual day I moved into the Mechie’s house. I have still not moved into the room in which I will be living in for the duration of the year but it is good to be in the house that I will soon call a second home.

That next morning we took off the Nairn, which is about two hours north of Banchory. The reason for the trip was because my friend Kyle Scott was getting married. We arrived in Nairn and went to Peter Chalmers’ grandmas house to get changed. (Pete stayed at my house in Seattle when we hosted the team from Banchory in 2004.) We all got changed there and went to the church. I was so delighted because I was able to borrow a kilt and all the other fixings so looked like an actual Scotsman. The wedding was different from any other wedding I’ve been too because it was a traditional Scottish wedding. After the actual wedding I went with some people to get a bite to eat and kill time because the dance part of the wedding was not till later. We returned to Nairn and were ready to dance. I love the traditional Scottish dancing. I know what its called but I would butcher the spelling. It was loads of fun and quite a workout. It was also really good to see Kyle. We were actually able to talk for a good ten minutes and catch up so that was good. Before I knew it the night was over and the band stopped playing and that was time for me to leave. Because it was a two hour drive we had planned on staying the night. Some people got hotel rooms but a few of us decided to sleep in the Mechie’s trailer tent. It had plenty of room and was great once we got the campsite and fell asleep. We woke up and went to Peter Chalmers’ grandmothers house again the next morning and had some brunch and saw heaps of people from the night before. After we were done there we made the journey back to Banchory. We got home and I had myself a little nap and then we went to Aberdeen to watch Transformers (not the good by the way). So today I was still a bit tired so I slept in till 12, woke up had a bite to eat and mowed the Mechie’s lawn. This was quite a bit different that cutting the lawn at home. They had an electric mower without wheels that was plugged into an outlet inside. So weird. But got that done we had another game on the Astroturf but this time the gate was left unlocked so we did not pay.

Today I woke up again at 12 and had some food and realized it was a beautiful Scottish day so a bunch of us took a 20-minute drive to a bridge to jump off and swim in the river below. I was really excited because I had jumped off a bridge when I was in Scotland before but when we got to the bridge I realized that this one was quite a bit taller. It was about 35 feet from bridge to water which doesn’t sound like much but its pretty high up there. So Pete the guy who I stayed with the first few days went off first because there is a certain place one must land or the jump could be fatal. So Pete went first and once he was out of the way I fallowed. I knew if I stood up on the ledge looking down I might chicken out so I got up and walked right off. It was very high up and the water was very cold but was a magnificent experience all together. That was the excitement for the day. When we got back home Sean (my host brother) and I played Golden Eye for Nintendo 64. it was a well rounded awesome day.

Prayer Requests

Prayer is powerful and such an amazing opportunity! It is a time where we as week humans can talk to the creator of the heavens and the earth and see how He feels about things and for us to ask things of Him because he loves giving us good gifts. So here is a place where I would love you to come in agreement and support me with prayer.

My Prayer Requests:

* For God to meet me and for me to draw closer to Him for this last few weeks before I head to Scotland.
* For God to prepare my heart for new changes in my life while in Scotland.
* For my time reading the Bible to be fruitful!
* To prepare for saying goodbyes.

Why Banchory?

A How it started was in the summer of 2004.team of young people and leaders from the Banchory Presbyterian Church came to Seattle for a mission trip. This was when I first encountered the charm that was the Banchory folk. Immediately I made connections and had a blast. Before I knew it they had left and I tried to keep in contact with people but it was difficult.

The second leg of this relationship between the Churches in Banchory and myself happened that following summer, 2005. I was not actually allowed to be on the trip being that I was a graduating senior from high school and the trip was for students who would still be with the Edge of Seattle the next year. Somehow I convinced them to let me go (in reality it was just me asking Jeff Aitken, he is the man!). So we arrived in Banchory and immediately I fell in love with the town. It was so great. I had always wished I lived in a small town and this was my chance to do that for two weeks. Everyone who I knew from the summer before had seemed to be so much cooler and connections began to be formed and solidified. Other than a few incidences including swinging from a kitchen counter because of the free feeling while wearing my first kilt and smacking my head on the floor or getting a forehead to the jaw because of winning a header in the Scotts vs. Statesmen at the Scott’s lovely home the trip was a marvelous success in so many different ways.

While there I fell in love with the town, the church,the people in and around the church and just got feeling of this could be a place that I might want to live for the rest of my life. All these things pushed me to try a great deal harder to keep in touch with the amazing people or should I say amazing friends that I made those past two summers. I even intended on returning the following summer to find a job and hang out although that plan never panned out in the end.

That following fall, one month into the second year of university I received a bebo (an online communication service much like facebook or myspace) message asking me to come work with Tony Stephen the Youth Pastor at the Churches in Banchory asking me to work with him for a year. When I read what he asked I instantly got so excited. I was so giddy but had no one to talk to about it that would really understand. Once that initial giddiness wore off I realized that I was in school. There was no way I could go. All these emotions came with one message on an internet site and most likely a half serious offer. At that point I responded to his message but did not touch on the offer. I began to pray about it (a lot!) and talked to people who I respected. Every day I would wake up and the only thing on my mind would be Banchory and everyone in Banchory.

After five weeks of praying and talking and really seeking for what God wanted for me and what he had on my heart I felt the tugging get stronger to go. I went in to talk to my school and see what could possibly happen with my schooling if I left for a whole year. The answers were exactly what I wanted to hear. Everything financially would stay the same; I would be able to come back without any sort of downfall. This was it. I found out from my school on Friday morning, the same Friday that I was going home to visit with my Grandma who was in from Illinois. I messaged Tony back telling him what the plan of attack was. I told him that things were looking so great and that I was going home and would talk to my parents about it. I got home and all that day I was looking for a moment to talk to them about it…. didn’t happen on Friday. I woke up on Saturday and was looking for a moment to bring it up…. didn’t happen. I woke up on Sunday and went to church and was looking for a place to bring it up…it wasn’t until we were eating lunch, my Grandma, mom and dad were at the table along with my little brother and it came out. One of the most awkward conversations I have ever had or at least the very beginning of it and after the first minute I just spilled it all out. It felt so good to get it off my chest. Both parents were stunned but in the end both were supportive of the trip. That was it! Nothing could stop me now. It was so beautiful; it was such a “God thing.” It was so great, it worked with school, it worked with family and it was something that God had put on my heart but did not ask me to go until I was ready (or maybe just a little more ready).

After that it was just a matter of time until I got all the documentation was filled out and my Visa was in hand. It was officially going to happen.